“Time to activate the pagers” – Israeli influencer calls for attack against Ireland after 3-0 Nations League defeat

An Israeli influencer has caused an outage by joking about attacking Ireland with pager attacks after their 3-0 defeat in the Nations League. 

The UEFA Nations League fixture, played at a neutral venue in Debrecen, Hungary, had already generated huge political tension prior to kick-off.

Following Ireland’s convincing 3-0 victory, an online post by an Israeli government official appeared to issue a veiled warning toward Ireland, leaving fans and commentators stunned across social media.

The comedian whose bio on X reads that he is member of Israeli Office of Digital Defence (@ivgiz) posted the following tweet after the defeat:  “Come on, it’s time to activate the pagers we scattered in Ireland”

????? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ??????? ??????? ???????

— ????? ????????? (@ivgiz) September 27, 2026

The social media post ignited swift backlash from football supporters, journalists, and observers, who condemned the rhetoric as wholly inappropriate for an international sporting event.

Many believed him to be an actual member of the Israeli government, and were left shocked by the tweet.

Here is the head of a division in the Israeli Ministry of Defence saying that they should activate the pagers in Ireland, similar to what they did in Lebanon in 2024.

And they say that any criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic…. https://t.co/lyNz24NMMK

— Paddy – Attacking Football (@PaddyKeoghAF) September 28, 2026

An Israeli Foreign Ministry official just openly called for a terror attack on Ireland. pic.twitter.com/KdhlyRPq8T

— Rabbi Jeff (@RabbiJeffx) September 28, 2026

Israel’s Head of Strategic Communications just called for a terrorist attack on Ireland.

They don’t like free speech when it doesn’t support their genocidal agenda. If they had it their way they would kill you for thought crimes.

We don’t share these people’s values. pic.twitter.com/qNcEYQwuKZ

— Allen_Revolts (@Allen_Revolts) September 28, 2026

The reaction comes amid heightened scrutiny around Israel’s international sports fixtures, with the provocative post escalating already sharp tensions between the two footballing nations ahead of their scheduled return match.

Despite the backlash, the media personality doubled down on his comment by posting and pinning the following tweet:

Pinned post and doubled down on it. Psycho. pic.twitter.com/2lntvbaVJq

— Paddy – Attacking Football (@PaddyKeoghAF) September 28, 2026

How Ireland team protested against playing with Israel with gestures before the game

The pitch action was heavily shaped by a series of deliberate protests from the Irish squad.

Following internal discussions on whether to boycott the match, which saw goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu withdraw entirely, the remaining Irish players decided to proceed while making their stance clear.

Before kick-off, the Ireland team skipped traditional pre-match handshakes with the Israeli side and stood with bowed heads and hands behind their backs as the Israeli national anthem played.

Captain Dara O’Shea avoided exchanging pennants or shaking hands with Israeli captain Manor Solomon during the coin toss.

Furthermore, the entire Irish squad wore black armbands as a mark of respect for lives lost in Gaza.

Goalscorer Jack Moylan punctuated Ireland’s dominance by taking off his armband, kissing it, and raising it high after netting the third goal, while O’Shea pledged his match earnings to aid relief efforts in Gaza.